14 Sole Source Justification 1132095 EXECUTED.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Source/Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

USDA/APHIS/WS/NWRC

2. Description of supply or service required to meet the agency’s needs.

The National Wildlife Research Center is equipping a prion research Project and has a requirement for GPS video collars. Due to the biological nature of the prion pathogen, equipment cannot be shared between research types. It is therefore necessary to obtain prion-specific equipment to fulfil the requirements of the FY2024 Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Development legislation. These collars will supply a project in WY with collaborations between NWRC, NOROCK, USGS, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Tribal Nations in the Wind River Reservation.

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

Obtaining video camera with the option to store over 35 hours of footage on a set schedule is required to observe disease-relevant contact rates. The Iridium satellite platform is also required due to it allowing for the uploading and downloading of recent locations, the alteration of GPS fix and camera schedules, and the remote drop-off of collars. Reliability of the units is also critical due to the costs associated with capturing animals via helicopter. Fully-hermetically sealed units where the transmitter, battery, and interconnects are sealed into a single housing improves the reliability of these units. Reliability problems have occurred repeatedly in units with battery packs that are replaceable by the user with two-part housing requiring an O-ring; thus, there is a requirement for fully-hermetically sealed housing filled with electrical resin to protect the battery cells from water ingress.

While multiple companies produce GPS collars for wildlife, only two also incorporate a video recording option (Vectronic Aerospace Inc. and LOTEK Inc). Market research showed that only Vectronic is capable of fulfilling all of the salient characteristics:

• Sized for Mule Deer

• VERTEX PLUS- IRIDIUM- with 2D Battery (incl.10% DC) o Stainless Steel Label Plate o Radio and Timer controlled Drop Off o Camera Option, 238 GByte o Options to monitor with

• VHF Beacon

• ii. Mortality & Temperature sensor

• iii. Basic 3-axis Activity sensor

• iv. Virtual Fence

• USB to camera (4 pin connector) o Direct connection for camera collars to Windows PC o Camera IDs < 3000

• USB to VERTEX Collar Interface (8 Pin Connector) o Direct connection of the Collar to the USB Port

• Ability to store hourly GPS locations for at least 13 months and relay those via the Iridium platform.

• Video camera with at least 35 hours of store-on-board non-volatile memory on a remotely determined schedule.

• Battery power sufficient to accomplish #5 and #6 for 13 months.

• Less than 1.5kg in total weight

• VHF beacon in the 160-175 MHz range

• Radio-controlled drop-off with timer-controlled back-up capable of being reprogrammed by user without return to factory

• Drop-off housed inside battery housing to provide better protection from damage.

• Collars must be shipped pre-programmed with project programming criteria.

• Data must be capable of being downloaded directly to Esri software platform, Movebank, or other database service using API formatting.

• Iridium upload and download options for locations and modification of video schedules.

• A demonstrated failure rate of less than 3%.

• A two-year warranty on electronic components and replacement of failed equipment that does not depend on having failed equipment returned.

• Remotely modifiable VHF beacon frequencies as this helps to avoid any potential conflicts within the Yellowstone region.

Due to the nature of GPS Collar technology and the equipment being utilized by our lab, and many other researchers on these projects, there are no other companies capable of providing this equipment to the specifications required. The use of other brands of equipment would be incompatible with existing equipment and may interfere with equipment already deployed for existing field work. The proprietary nature of acoustic telemetry equipment and the importance of compatibility with existing equipment prevents the use of other brands. Vectronic is the only company that incorporates instant mortality notifications which will allow to more rapidly and accurately assess cause-specific mortality.

Each GPS company has unique and dedicated services and associated protocols for Iridium based data acquisition that are not transferable between or among companies in addition field-based uploading of location data requires computers that are specifically developed based on proprietary firmware that cannot be used with GPS collars from other manufacturers.

As outlined above specific materials requirements of ongoing projects field and species endurance and technological compatibility requires the use of electronic aerospace products electronic aerospace is a private wildlife GPS telemetry manufacturer not a distributor and sells only their own products nor did they distribute their products through third party markets. Thus, Vectronic Aerospace is the only company that can fulfill the requirement for new GPS collars for this project.

4. A description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

While multiple companies produce GPS collars for wildlife, market research revealed that (through communications with collar companies and internet searches) only two that also incorporate a video recording option (Vectronic Aerospace Inc. and LOTEK Inc). Research into the two video collars revealed that only Vectronic had the additional technological capabilities required by the project and the collaborators.

This equipment will be used in conjunction with a collaborator’s existing study using existing compatible equipment. It will cause undue burden on Project personnel to deploy and utilize multiple collar types during difficult helicopter captures in Wyoming winters. The ability to quickly deploy collars is also essential for optimal animal survival after capture.

5. Estimated price, including all options, if applicable.

The estimated total cost is $43,616.98.

6. Recommended source(s).

Company: VECTRONIC AEROSPACE INC.

UEI: L7YWRNDH4LR7

Company Address: 3292 Ridgeway DR STE C, Coralville, Iowa, 52241-2024 Company Point of Contact: Chris Kochanny, info@vectronic-aerospace.com, 319-626-2267

Certifications

Supporting data that is the responsibility of technical or requirements personnel and which form the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Lindsay Parrie Program Manager

The information contained in this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1), I hereby determine the circumstances described above deem only one source, or limited sources, reasonably available and competition is precluded for the reasons indicated in this document.

Robert Zeglin Contracting Officer mailto:info@vectronic-aerospace.com